Here, check out a great post from one of our authors reframing the Hachette v. Amazon issue in terms of what’s actually best for emerging authors. Whose side is the mainstream publishing industry on, and what can you, as a new contributor to the field, do to ensure that your voice is heard? Hype aside, is the traditional publishing machine really capable of serving your best interests?

It used to be that self publishing was rejected as the last refuge of the truly talent-less, and boutique presses were little better. Trust me, I’ve heard horror stories. But with more and more self published work appearing on the New York Times bestseller list, the joke that “agents and editors don’t know what sells” is becoming less and less funny. Not to mention, an increasingly diverse audience of readers and writers are still being told things like, “Asians don’t sell.” The decision to self publish, rather than an admission of failure, might be the the best thing you can do for your career–especially if your story is the least bit outside the mainstream.

Ten, or even five years ago, the gatekeepers of the publishing world had a lot more power. But these days, as a self-published author you have access via the miracle of the internet to the same suite of tools that the giants use to create and market their work. The only ingredient not readily available to anyone with a credit card is you.